My 11 Wk Old Son Has a Bad Cough and Congestion

Please take your son to a doctor as soon as possible and let him/her check the lungs. He's so young (11 weeks) and you want to make sure it's not pneumonia.

I have to agree that the doctor is in order - my little guy had a ear infection and a sinus infection and I never would have guessed that was the problem. With antibiotics, he cleared up in a day.

Also, though, our babysitter, who is from Mexico, taught us to make a tea that really helps him sleep when he's congested and coughing. We boil a chamomile tea bag with a stick of cinnamon, a couple cloves of garlic (smashed but still in one whole piece), and honey (or a little sugar if you're not doing honey yet). We strain it into a bottle, and either let it cool until it's drinkable or add a little ice. He just sucks it down and sleeps so much better. It also gets liquids in him. Not sure exactly why it works, but it does!

Good luck. Sick kids are no fun.

-D.

So glad you got help!

Try to rub some Vic Vaporub Baby on his feet and put socks after, it really helps with the cough.

when my daughter was a baby & had congestion, her dr. recommended i put salt in the humidifier/steam from hot shower...like beachwater, it will dry up the congestion. good luck :)

Hi I am a mother of three. You might want to take him to the doctors and have him tested for asthma.My son was very young when he was diagnosed. They can give him a nebulizer machine and albuterol for him to take in. If the hot showers and humidifier don't work then that might be your best bet. Vicks also has a medicine that is placed in the humidifier and has helped my kids in the past. Try that! Good luuk! Being a first time mom can be a little unnerving especially when your child is sick.

I wouldn't mess around, but would take him in to the doctor to check his lungs. I know the ER is something you want to avoid, but if you can take him to your regular pediatrician, atleast you'll have peace of mind that he doesn't have pneumonia. We went through this with our baby too and it's really scary, and a pain to keep taking him to the Dr., but it's the only way I could relax. It took forever for him to get better, I guess b/c babies aren't really good at coughing. I hope things get better for you soon.

Hi M.,
This is scary to watch, and unfortunately, I have to suggest taking him to the doctor. I try to avoid medication whenever possible but someone needs to listen to his lungs with a stethoscope and see how bad and where the congestion is. If it is in the lower respiratory track no amount of back clapping and steam can get it out, it can lead to pnumonia. My son had a similar cough (he is much older- 4 years old) and since then, every time he gets a cough it has the potential to fill his lungs. This is called "reactive airways" and I think it means the small sacs in his lungs get filled and his passageways aren't big enough to clear them out. This is something kids can outgrow as their lungs/air sac relationship gets stronger.

When he got it the first time, he was put on antibiotics, a nebulizer and (yikes!) prednisone. I really hated all the meds and I'm not sure if he needed the steroid, but he did need help to get past the infection. Now he uses a nebulizer (same meds as an asthma inhaler but in a mist that he can take in easier) when he gets that "coupy" cough that isn't croup before it gets too deep in his lungs.

My son, though not a preemie, was born the same time of year and caught a lot of colds when he was such a little baby. A fall birth means making through cold and flu season with an immature immune system, scary stuff indeed!

Overall, please take him to the doc. If your doctor is an overmedicating zealot you can address that later by finding someone willing to work with you in a less alarmist fashion but right now, it sounds like he needs help to breathe. You shouldn't doubt yourself and your "first mom syndrome". Mom's need to listen to their babies and trust their intuition. If you are scared, there might be good reason.

You're doing a great job, stay calm and have someone take a listen, maybe he doesn't need any meds and you'll feel better knowing that too. Good luck!

Please take your baby to see his pediatrician right away. I work in the medical field and this time of year RSV is very common in infants. It is better to be safe than sorry. If your infant was hospitalized , he could have been exposed to this respiratory infection. I would call his Dr. today and have him checked out....M.

Hi M.:

I suggest that That you visit NAET.com, order and read the book "Say Good-Bye to Children's Allergies" and go with your son to an NAET doctor at your first opportunity. One of the wonderful things about NAET is that for children or the infirm, they can be treated through a surrogate, i.e., you. Here is the description paragraph from the book information.
"Say Good-bye to Children’s Allergies
By - Devi S. Nambudripad, D.C., L.Ac., R.N., Ph.D.
Paperback-1st Edition 2000
350 pages, 8.5’ X 5.5’ X .75’
ISBN: ISBN: 0-###-###-####-8-4
In Say Good-bye to Children’s Allergies, Dr. Devi S. Nambudripad, the developer of NAET®, will help you understand your child’s illness and will assist you in finding the right help to achieve better health for your child. This book will show you how certain commonly used products in your foods and environment can cause health problems in your child; how you can test your child in your privacy of your own home using the Nambudripad’s Testing Techniques described in the book. This book will educate you how your child’s health problems can relate to allergy, a traditionally under-diagnosed or misdiagnosed condition; and, how allergies can manifest into myriad symptoms that might seem unrelated. The author also provides remedies for mild conditions of common childhood ailments arising from allergies and how to find help in assisting your child find the right help for serious problems such as, asthma, hay-fever, common colds, sinus problems, milk allergy, peanut allergy, sugar allergy, hives, gastritis, vomiting, colic for newborns, ear infections, irritable bowel syndrome, colitis, bronchitis, drug reactions, and many other conditions. Dr. Nambudripad explains how allergies are often the underlying causes to pediatric problems and how NAET® testing procedures and NAET® treatments can offer relief from these allergies. The book is supported by NAET® practitioners’ testimonials and patients’ success stories."

Hello M.. Don't panic, but you must take your son to the doctor. At his age, plus he was a premie, he is not strong enough to cough everything out. When the congestion stays in his lungs he is more likely to get pneumonia. Also, sometimes when a child coughs so hard, they might vommit, and they will have difficulty catching their breath. Sometimes this is due to Asthma, or another underlying condition. I spent many nights in the ER and I know it is not fun, however it is there to help. Also, remember, your son is too young to remember it anyhow. It is usually more difficult for the parent. However it is best to get it undercontrol before it gets to far. I would help in anyway I can. Take care. N.

take him to see his pediatrician asap if not the hospital. they'll probably give him a nebulizer, which helps with wheezing and cough.
my baby recently had a bad cough & my pediatrician said she could get worse and i'd have to take her to the hospital. sounds like you should seek professional advice asap. sorry to sound scary, but that's what i would do especially if it's visible that he's struggling.

Wow, Helath issues with my children makes me very uneasy too. My thought is that we have access to good doctors I'd use them. I don't want to overwhelm you with possible things that it could be, but with your baby's age and the new "super bugs" that are being introduced to our environment- I'd just see a doctor. Don't wait till it gets too bad to go to the ER. There are extra germs there.

Since he was a premie, did you have him checked for RSV? From what I remember one of my nephews had it and he was premature so I think that made him more susceptible to it.

Also I have personal experience with reflux and this causes breathing issues. Getting that under control will help out tremendously. My asthma flares when my reflux does. Also my nephew(not the same w/rsv) was in and out of the hospital as an infant for asthma and real trouble breathing. His reflux went undiagnosed for 2 years until they got a second opinion. He's had a couple surgeries and now is breathing better with less reflux.

Also.... What is his diet? Nursed or bottled? Allergies are a HUGE cause of reflux and breathing issues. If you nurse something your eating can be causing an issue. My sister-in-law can't eat beef. Her baby can't process it through her milk and he just cries and is in pain. If you bottle feed he may not be able to do a dairy based formula. Again back to my personal experience, once I got off dairy for myself I do NOT have to take my reflux meds. I also take probiotics to put natural bacteria back in my body to fight the bad stuff. They have infant ones too.

So this is a lot of info to consider, but basically visit the dr's before it gets too bad, second opinions are a must, and consider the diet/allergies.

AND MOST OF ALL....LISTEN TO YOUR HEART. NO ONE CAN ARGUE WITH THE NATURAL INSTINCTS OF A MOTHER!!!
C.

M.,
This is a little trick that has worked for my family, and it is super easy and safe. Buy the vick's vapor rub - they make them for kids too. But rub it on the bottom of your son's feet and then put socks on him. It is very helpful in calming the cough down so that they can sleep better. My husband was skeptical, but when he had a cough, it worked and now he is a believer. Plus, it is helpful for all kinds of coughs.

Sorry I don't have any other suggestions for the other symptoms, but I hope the cough thing gets better.

hi M.,
my cousin has the same problem with her son. acid reflux plus a cold is harder to deal with. try putting a pillow or blanket under the mattress of the bed or crib where your baby sleeps. use humidifier, vicks plug ins if your baby is still congested, constant suction. if your baby is having trouble breathing take your baby to see the doctor or call your doctors nurse to see if you should bring the baby in or not. your doing a great job!

a little about me
33yrs old mother/nurse 2 girls, 15 months and 4 yrs old

M., Please call your pediatrician immediately and let them know. They are there to help you; never hesitate to call them with questions. It sounds like you baby should be seen by a doctor.

Hi M.:
Just to tell you a bit about me, I am 43 years old, a mother of two girls, one 22 years old and the other one 11 years old and I know how you feel as a first time mother. My mom used to do the following when we were babies, and I did the same with my girls: She used to put vicks on our chest (in this case because he is so young, may be the vicks that looks like cream) and in our backs and then, you cover that with newspaper (yes, newspaper). For some reason, that keeps that part warm and it makes that area les congested.
Give it a try it works. I did it my girls and it worked everytime.
Good luck and your baby will be fine because you are a caring mom.

My daughter had a horrible time sleeping when she had a cold (she's 13, and thank God, seems to have grown out of this, yea!). We had to sleep sitting on the couch with her sitting up on our lap for her to be able to sleep. When she was a little older, she and her sister shared my bed (I slept on the couch), and when she had a cold, I would close up the bedroom and run the shower when they went to bed . . .
This is a tough time - good luck!

I just read your up-date, and to let you know, it's not abnormal for those home-health companies to take a long time and run late at night like that. My son once injured his knee around noon, and we saw the doctor and had x-rays, etc . . . he was supposed to get crutches, and I thought we were out of luck that evening bc they hadn't come yet - when to my amazement, they showed up at 10 p.m. - I was shocked!

I would definitely take him to his pediatrician as soon as possible and tell him your concerns. He is the best one to advise you on something of this nature. Sounds like there is more going on than "1st time mom syndrome". I have four, and this would alarm me. Plus, since he is a preemie, he has special medical needs. Good luck!

Dear M.,

You need to take him to the doctor and now. Ask all of these questions of the doctor. there are a lot of things that could be causing this - maybe allergies - Get busy and go. Now. C. N.

Hi M.,

Glad to hear that you went to the doctors. My response is to the reflux. My daughter, now, almost 13 years old was born with extreme GERD.(reflux). we did the mylanta, zantac, propulsid, carafate, in and out of the hospital. Her problem is she couldn't keep anything down... threw up about 20 times a day which caused a hiatal hernia. We had to prop her crib up at one end to keep her head higher than her tummy etc... It is all very frustrating and scarey but they do get thru it all and so do WE! :) She is very healthy and an athlete. If you ever need to talk about it, e-mail me. Been there done that and understand completely. She was a very miserable little baby in lots of pain with it.

One thing that I learned when she was sick is to strap her into one of those baby bounce seats-(I think that they still have them, metal frame that is covered with quilted fabric, leans them back like a recliner with a strap between their legs that fastens on both side by their waste)- keeps their head elevated, very comfortable and when she got older and could get around, I would put that inside of her playpen, that way if she did get out of the velcro in the night and I didn't hear her, she was still confined to the playpen so she couldn't get hurt.

Good luck-- one of my greatest joys, but is a lot of work to do it the right way!

hi M.,i am a mom of 17 yr old and 6yr old children.my daughter is 6 last year she had a lot of problems.she was coughing a lot and breathing weird,her doctor told me to watch her breathing,if she breathes very fast or if i see her stomach and chest is being pulled inside when she is breathing.so i am not a doctor but if you think your baby is breathing fast or not normal take him immediately to the doctor.First time mom or second or third mother's intuition is always right.if you are worrried i think it is better if you take him to the doctor they will say oh,he does not have fever don't worry but you should make them see your son.probably it is nothing but for your own peace of mind i think it is better if you go to the doctor.your baby is only 11wk old i know how it is for first time mom.if you want to talk to me you can call me at ###-###-####,my name is ajanta even if i am not home leave your name and phone no i'll call you.

Has the doctor/nurses or hospital mentioned Pertussis (Whoping Cough)? If not--YOU should. You might get pooh-pooed by the doc, and told it is rare but it is NOT and it is on the upswing in our country despite the vaccinations! The syptoms you mentioned sound like it. My daughter had it at 3 weeks old and it lasted for months. PLEASE have your son tested for it!!! God bless and I hope your son gets better.

I am sorry but YOU NEED to take him to His Pediatric Physician tomorrow, none of us can tell you what the inside of this babys lungs look like or if they are filling up with fluid, only a physician & a chest xray can do that .... You definately and I cannot say this strongly enough because of his age (11wks) you need to get him to his doctor NOW, because of his breathing, cough etc....he could be wheezy & already moist in his lungs & the humidifer is making it worst. He is much to young (He is ONLY 11wks old) to be coughing that hard...if you are here in CALIF everyone has it...but the doctors are putting everyone on antibotics and it lingers & comes back, but you need to get him diagnosticaly checked out FIRST.

Please, I will keep your son & you & your husband in our prayers....